AMC debuted the season five trailer for Fear the Walking Dead at WonderCon. Fans were surprised to see not only the spin-off’s Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades) return, but Dwight (Austin Amelio) from the mothership Walking Dead. Amelio and Blades were there to surprise the fans, and producers spoke with reporters about the new season in a press room.

Scott Gimple, Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss spoke about the new season, including the returning characters, some new ones and the emotional turmoil of killing walkers.

It’s Only Months After Dwight’s Confrontation With Daryl

Fear the Walking Dead began as a prequel to The Walking Dead but thanks to a series of time jumps on both shows, they now intersect. Gimple confirmed that Fear finds Dwight shortly after Daryl showed mercy and let him go.

“I don’t want to give the exact months but, we can say months,” Gimple said. “It’s actually not a consequential jump because Walking Dead jumped years and years. I’m doing that spoiler. In some ways I’m doing it to stay sane myself. I get confused sometimes.”

This is not the first time a Walking Dead character ended up in fear. Morgan’s Fear screen time is catching up to his Walking Dead run. This does propose an interesting scenario where Fear can continue threads past which The Walking Dead has moved.

Dwight may find more forgiveness with the Fear crowd too.

“These characters on Fear have sordid histories themselves,” Gimple said. “Dwight’s story parallels their own, not that they were with a bat wielding maniac.”

Daniel Has Changed and Victor Has Changed So We Can All Change

In Daniel’s last appearance on Fear, Victor Strand (Colman Domingo) shot him. Now, we all know that unless it’s a headshot, anyone can survive a gunshot on television. The trailer shows Victor and Daniel meeting again.

“Two huge things to answer about that scene, which I can’t answer, but are: Why is Strand there?” Goldberg said. “Which will also tell you a lot about where he’s at, and why is Daniel in that place? The interaction between the two of them will tell you a lot about how they’ve changed but also how much they have to work out between each other still, both in terms of their relationship but also things that they’re dealing with internally, struggling with who they were, who they are and who they still want to become.”

Blades and Domingo offered their take on this uneasy reunion too. If time heals all wounds, perhaps the zombie apocalypse speeds it up.

“These characters have such complicated history,” Domingo said. “I think even still, even in this apocalypse and they’ve had such dirty deeds done to each other, it probably is a little refreshing to see someone you have some history with in a very odd dark way.”

Daniel even ribs his old enemy with an attitude like, “You old so and so!”

“The line could have been given in anger,” Blades said. “It was not. He’s putting himself in danger by going to see me. I know, being Salazar, he sought me. He didn’t just show up. I’m happy to see him in a way. That’s why I say to him, ‘You still talk too much, Victor’ instead of shooting him. I don’t shoot him, so we both have changed.”

New Kids on the Block

The trailer also showed a group of children. No one is safe on a Walking Dead show, not even kids. Just ask Carl.

“Our group is going out into the world to help some people and some of those people they come across may be children,” Chambliss said. “Being a kid in the apocalypse is tough. Being anyone in the apocalypse is tough but when you’re a kid perhaps on your own, you’re facing a lot of challenges that you might not be equipped to and that may put you in a very different sort of place.”

Fear’s kids have some new story this season too.

“Charlie is someone who is looking for a family, and she may find a connection with a character who perhaps is looking for the same thing,” Chambliss said.

For the First Time, People Feel Bad About Killing Walkers

Oh sure, Rick may have regretted having to put down Shane more than others, and everyone feels the burden of killing a formerly beloved walker. But the usual roadside walkers are usually dealt with on the move. Fear is going to explore the general guilt of killing zombies on a regular basis.

“One of the other things we’re interested in exploring and start to dip our toes into this season is just the emotional toll that takes on you,” Chambliss said. “It becomes very easy to just view them as walkers and to say, ‘Well, they’re dead.’ But when you really think about it, you’re still killing humans. That is not necessarily an easy thing to do.”

It’s a little surprising that nine seasons of The Walking Dead and four of Fear haven’t really dealt with that aspect of the post-apocalyptic lifestyle. It’s a fact of life, often taken for granted. Maybe they’re all distracted by the dramas of Negan, The Sanctuary, Oceanside, etc.

This ties in with the kids, too.

“There is an episode that Charlie is featured heavily in where there is a kill count that is high and is done in a very unconventional way, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Chambliss said.